“Do you think I marred that model quality face?” - Bruce Bowen once cleared the air on his unintentional kick to Wally Szczerbiak’s face
Bruce Bowen was equally known for his defensive prowess and dirty reputation. Perhaps his most-replayed play was when he delivered a flying kick to former Minnesota Timberwolves sharpshooter Wally Szczerbiak's face.
When asked about it in 2013, Bowen hilariously joked that Szczerbiak ran his face into the former San Antonio Spurs swingman's foot. He did clarify what transpired during that fateful possession and that he was cool with the retired marksman.
"He pump-faked!" Bowen told SB Nation. "Why did he pump fake? It was absolutely not intentional. We considered Wally a hot shooter from 3, which meant run him off the line at any cost. I was rotating over, and bam, he ran his face right into my foot.
"I had no problem with Wally. It wasn't intentional. The league did a whole big investigation, asked Wally if there was a problem between us, and he said no. Asked me if there was a problem, and I said no. It was just one of those things. Do you think I marred that model quality face?"
The aftermath of the kick
For some reason, the infraction called on Bowen that evening was a regular foul. Only sometime after the contest, the league reclassified the call to a flagrant foul. The league office also fined the eight-time All-Defensive selection $7,500.
The wayward kick should have provided Szczerbiak with more motivation to deliver the win for his Wolves squad. But the Spurs were the stronger side that night, taking the scrappy 85-77 win. "Wally World" tried his best to lift Minnesota, scoring a team-high 21 points.
If you think Bowen had learned his lesson afterward, that would be wrong because he occasionally used his feet for a purpose other than running.
Some of Bruce's other victims include Ray Allen, whom he kicked in the back, which cost him $10,000 in fines, and Chris Paul, whom he stomped on while the point guard was lying on the floor.
Accepting his reputation
Bowen knew how his physical and dangerous style of play had earned the ire of many folks around the league. However, it was something that he had learned to accept, saying, "It's who I am."
"When you get betrayed by the media, it hardens you," Bowen said about the matter. "Reporters will do whatever it takes to get the story, be nice when they need to be, but then go back to ripping you. It's the reality of the game. I was mature enough to understand, to take the good and the bad. People's negative perceptions of me are because of the media, it influences the viewer."
Who can blame Bowen for being unapologetic about it, especially since it was key to the Spurs' title runs in '03, '05, and '07?
The Cal State Fullerton product was also beloved in the Spurs organization and the San Antonio community. He has also been a role model for undrafted players trying to make it in the NBA. Bowen began his professional basketball career overseas before the Miami Heat gave him a chance in 1997. And the rest is history.
